CHAPTER 6

I introduced dad and his Pokemon to the rest of my team (most of my Pokemon were polite, though a few gave dad stink eyes until I chided them) and asked Audi to look over our injured Pokemon. Then I whisked dad away to the living room and had him sit down. We had a lot to discuss.

Now that I had decided to become the next Gym Leader, there was a Tauros load of things that needed to be done.

"Dad, when's the deadline for the test to change our Gym status to a major gym?" I asked immediately. "I'm going to apply for it, obviously. I won't allow the Cherrygrove Gym to remain a minor one any longer. I'm going to make sure we stand on equal footing with the rest of the Johto Gyms."

Dad's hesitation in answering raised alarm bells in my head.

"April the first," he finally said.

In Johto, the League Circuit ran from August to April with the Silver Conference being held in the first two weeks of May. The second half of May through July was the off-season.

Currently, we were about to enter the second week of March.

…That left me only two weeks to prepare for the test.

I groaned, slapping a hand to my forehead. Only two weeks to prepare for a test that would determine the standing of the Gym and the future direction it would take.

Right from the start, I had my back up against the wall.

"Do you know what the test will entail?" I asked, trying not to freak out more than I already was.

"They said it would be a practical exam similar to the annual gym audit. I was told to bring my Elite team and a selection of gym Pokemon for first badge, second badge, and fifth badge challenges, and they would test my ability to conduct battles properly," Dad replied instantly this time.

I nodded in relief, glad that the test was pretty standard at least. The part about bringing your Elite team made me a bit suspicious, but I put it aside for now.

The badge levels mentioned in the test were all important milestones in a trainer's journey through the League Circuit. The first badge was pretty obvious for the reason that it was the first obstacle a beginner trainer had to pass. The most important thing was to test the challenger's understanding of type matchups. A little over half the trainers every year were usually able to obtain the first badge with the rest unable to go further.

The second badge slightly ramped up in difficulty. Challengers were expected to have a better grasp on what they were doing with one badge already in their possession. At the fifth badge level, the difficulty spiked yet again. With half of the badges needed for the Conference under a trainer's belt, they were fully expected to know what they were doing at this point and be able to think more on their feet. Mistakes would be punished more harshly.

Finally, although it wasn't going to be a part of the test I'd take, the eighth badge level was the last difficulty spike. Gym Leaders went hard on challengers. They needed to weed out who was and was not worthy enough to stand on the grand stage known as the Silver Conference at the end of the season. For that reason, some Gym Leaders even studied up on who they fought and used specific Pokemon to give their opponents more of a challenge. The eighth-badge level tested everything that trainers learned over the course of their journey.

I wasn't worried about the battle portion of the test. I still remembered everything dad had taught me during my successor training back then, not to mention I had some firsthand teaching experience from Naranja-Uva Academy over the last four years. I knew what to test young trainers on.

What I was worried about, however, were the gym Pokemon themselves.

I had none.

Getting appropriate Pokemon for the first and second badge trials was fine because I could just catch any low-level wild Fairy type Pokemon to train. They wouldn't require much training to reach the strength needed for those tiers, just a few days to a week max of work.

The real problem was getting Pokemon appropriate for the fifth badge level.

Training some low-level wild Pokemon from scratch for that was going to be harder. Even with my Ability and expertise on Fairy types, it would be a bit of a stretch to bring them up to speed in just two weeks. There was always the option of finding wild Pokemon whose strength was closer to the threshold I needed so that it took less time to train them up, but it would take more time and effort to specifically look for those.

These were only the Pokemon I needed to acquire and train for the parameters of the test. Gym Leaders usually had dozens of Pokemon at their disposal for every single badge tier to rotate between challenges. Even after passing the promotion test, I'd need to catch and train enough Pokemon before the next Circuit started, which was in less than half a year.

I almost felt like a Psyduck with a headache coming on.

Dad noticed my distress and fidgeted in his seat. "Arin… since I'm technically still the Gym Leader right now, if you want, I could visit the League and try to appeal for a deadline extension—"

"No, it's okay," I said instantly with a shake of my head. "I appreciate the offer, dad, but I don't think it would work. The League hasn't shown much favor to minor gyms before, and I don't think they will any time soon. It'd be a waste of time. I'm pretty sure I can do this."

They weren't empty words. I just needed to tackle things one by one. First was the short term goal: acquire and train Pokemon for the test in two weeks. Second was the long term goal: collect Pokemon to fill in the rest of the badge challenge roster by August. It was doable.

I paused in horror as something suddenly dawned on me. Why didn't I think of it sooner?! "Oh Arceus. Dad, um, am I still able to apply for the test if I change the gym type? The qualifications were technically obtained based on your achievements of managing the gym under the Grass specialty."

Dad paused at that, too. He didn't say anything, but he stared at me with a similar look of alarm.

Simultaneously, we snatched our phones out of our pockets and frantically looked up the League rules concerning gyms.

After almost ten minutes of scrolling and frenzied reading, we had our answer. Article 91 had exactly a few lines pertaining to our dilemma.

"'A minor gym's specialty may be changed at the discretion of the Gym Leader and does not need to be approved by the League,'" I read out loud, and I skipped over a few lines to more relevant information. "Any changes in the ownership or gym's specialty between the time of qualification and the promotion test is allowed so long as the new head of the gym is part of the previous head's immediate family.'"

Dad and I both visibly sagged with relief. We were in the clear.

"Okay, next order of business," I said with a snap of my fingers. "The Gym. I need to hire construction workers now if I want to get it done in time. It's not in the best condition at the moment, and it's also going to need to be changed to better suit the image of a Fairy Gym."

"Do you have any idea what you want it to look like—"

"I do." I smiled, handing dad a sheet of paper. He unfolded it and stared at the very professional looking drawing there, then lifted his head and arched a delicate eyebrow at me.

"Two questions, son. First, how did you get so good at drawing? Second, when did you even get this done?" he asked, completely bewildered. He and I were both well-aware of the fact that I wasn't exactly the best at drawing (though I had improved some in recent years). I smiled sheepishly.

"Today," I said in response to the second question. "Er, do you remember Silque, that tall pink-and-blue colored Pokemon with the hat I introduced you to earlier? She's very proficient with psychic powers, and her main hobby is drawing. I asked her to draw this for me based on verbal descriptions and the mental image I was crafting in my mind that I gave her access to. She's talented, right?"

Dad stared at me in shock and nodded slowly. "Uh… yes. Quite talented. Please tell her I said so later. But Arin?" He tapped the paper twice, voice full of apprehension. "Judging by what I see here and the notes you've jotted down on the side, it's going to be very expensive. Do you have the funds for this?"

I nodded. "I'm quite rich, dad. I've saved up a lot of money over the years from my travels from winning Conferences, tournaments, and at times even utilizing my Ability to assist with important Pokemon research. I do spend a lot of money to take care of my team's needs, but aside from that, most of the money's just sitting there gaining dust. I'd be happy to finally make use of it now to create my dream gym."

I looked at dad. He'd given me his support, but… "Are you okay with my renovation plans?" I asked carefully. The Cherrygrove Gym had been in the family for a long time, and I was planning on a significant makeover. I wasn't going to be surprised if dad had complicated emotions over it.

He simply waved a hand in dismissal. "I already gave you my blessings for everything regarding the Gym, Arin. Don't worry about me," he chuckled. I stared at him, only nodding once I was sure he was being honest.

Clearing my throat, I quickly moved on to another topic. This one was not as pressing as the other issues and would only be more important after the test deadline, but I still needed to keep it in mind going forward.

"Next, I'm going to need gym employees. I'll need to hire receptionists and security guards and the like, but most importantly, Gym Trainers," I said seriously.

A Gym Leader could not run a gym by themselves. It was just impossible.

Every year, thousands of trainers signed up for the Circuit which translated to daily challenges. With most of a Gym Leader's time being taken up by gym battles, it fell to gym trainers to help manage other aspects of the gym such as feeding the gym Pokemon and keeping them in shape. In return, they received several benefits such as being able to directly learn from a Gym Leader as well as a salary and room and board.

Gym trainers were also instrumental to one of the types of challenges a gym could give: the gauntlet. A challenger needed to win a series of battles against gym trainers before they could face the Gym Leader at the end. Back when the wilds were more dangerous, the gauntlet challenge was actually the standard that all trainers were required to face in gyms. The League wanted to ensure that trainers knew how to handle long and tough fights if they ever ran into such a situation during their travels.

Nowadays, facing the Gym Leader right away was the norm with the gauntlet being optional. That was how it was for the rest of the world, but in Kanto-Johto where emphasis was placed on tradition, there were still many trainers who took on the gauntlet for its prestige.

Finding gym trainers for my Fairy Gym was going to be hard considering my lack of fame within Johto and the fact that the Fairy type had only been introduced recently to the Kinjoh Area. Most prospective gym trainers wanted to study under specific Gym Leaders who either had lots of experience, therefore having deep wealths of knowledge to learn from, or who had a type specialty that aligned with members of their own team. Trainers also considered the prestige that came with working for a well-known Gym Leader. They looked at all of these factors to make the job worth their time.

There weren't a lot of Fairy types native to Kanto-Johto that people could catch, so that significantly reduced the number of people who would be interested, and while I was perhaps more widely known through Conferences and tournaments in the other half of the world, I was basically unknown in Johto.

I frowned, drumming my fingers against my leg thoughtfully. "Getting staff can wait until after I pass the promotion test," I mused out loud. Yes, 'after' I passed and not 'if.' I was completely confident in my abilities. "Maybe I'll do a press conference to let people know about me and the Gym. Then I can send out hiring ads…"

"Oh, Arin," Dad began suddenly, making me turn curiously toward him. "I know one person who you might be interested in hiring as a trainer for your gym. Remember how I said all but one of my Gym Trainers left after I told them about my situation? Neil's still around. He checks up on me and the Gym occasionally to make sure there aren't any issues. He might be willing to help out with your Fairy Gym."

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I blinked a few times in surprise. Neil was a few years older than dad and had been appointed as his Head Gym Trainer six months after dad took over the Gym. That meant he'd stayed on for almost three whole decades, the epitome of loyalty.

I remembered him best as a man with a boisterous laugh and a big heart. He was one of dad's closest friends. He'd always been very nice to me as a child and even helped me get out of trouble with dad on a few occasions, every time with a wink on his face as he shooed me away from the scene.

I smiled fondly at the memories. Here was one bit of welcome news at least.

"I'm assuming he still lives in Cherrygrove with his family then?" I asked just to make sure, and dad responded with a grunt of affirmation. "Perfect. I'll reach out to him after I get back."

"Are you going back to Paldea to sort things out there?" Dad guessed. He'd hit the nail on the head.

"Yep. I need to get my belongings and explain things to my employers and friends," I nodded. "I'll probably leave tonight after I let Zuri rest a bit. My plan is to finish everything in Paldea in one day and fly back again during the night, so I'll be back the morning after tomorrow, dad."

Even though I knew Zuri would be okay with it, I felt bad already for all the flying I'd be asking the Dragonite to do. She'd be making multiple trips halfway across the world in the span of just a few days.

Sadly, I was on a time crunch with the promotion test. I needed to make the most of my very limited time.

Dad nodded. "I'll make dinner early tonight then. Chicken cutlet with curry, your favorite," he said but paused, suddenly unsure as he looked at me. "Is… is that your favorite still?"

I nodded slowly. "It is," I confirmed. We looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before dad cleared his throat, getting up from his seat.

"I'll go tend to the gardens out back for a bit. See you later, son," he murmured softly. I watched him shuffle away with a mix of emotions. More awkward moments like these were bound to happen in the future as we reconnected.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on my newly repaired relationship with dad, though. Like I'd mentioned before, there was seriously a Taurus load of things to do.

Arceus, I felt like tearing my hair out already from the anxiety.

Deep breaths, Arin, I told myself as I inhaled and exhaled. One step at a time. Shaking my head, I dug around in my bag and pulled out my laptop, setting it on the chipped coffee table in front of me.

First order of business: renovating the Gym. Right now, it was still a mess.

I immediately looked up construction companies with a good reputation in Johto. Once I had compiled a decent list, I began researching each individual one more thoroughly. Eventually, I narrowed it down to three choices: Amir & Campbell, Westwind Construction, and Blossom Hall.

Amir & Campbell was a new but quickly growing company based in Goldenrod City. They were known for how fast and efficiently they worked, which was something I wanted. Their latest project was a new shopping mall in Goldenrod's northern district.

Westwind Construction was located all the way over in Olivine City, and it was the oldest and most famous company of the three I'd picked. They took care of almost all major construction projects in the western corner of Johto and had recently renovated ports in both Cianwood and Olivine.

Finally, Blossom Hall was actually a local construction company found right here in Cherrygrove. It was smaller than the other two businesses, but it matched Westwind Construction in terms of age. They had never done any major projects outside of Cherrygrove City or New Bark Town, but I liked what I did see from their mostly local work. I briefly wondered if this was the company dad had hired for the previous work on the gym before he gave up.

The first two companies were a bit too far away for my liking. I didn't mind paying transportation costs, but it'd take too long for them to get here.

That only left Blossom Hall.

I contacted them right away, asking if I could come in for a same-day consultation. The receptionist told me yes.

Zuri needed to rest for the flight in the evening, so I wasn't going to fly with her now. All of my Pokemon including Vel were lounging around the yard or backyard in various states of relaxation. I grabbed my stuff, ran out the front door, and yelled for my second fastest flier. Peri dove down and landed in front of me, chirping a greeting.

"To the city, bud. I have business there," I told the Togekiss as I hopped on. I'd barely grabbed onto his fluffy fur before Peri shot back into the air. I grinned as the world flew by past us. As we approached the city, I finally got my first good look of it in the daytime.

The city was much more lively now that people were awake and up and about. I could make out tiny figures walking and bicycling down the streets and idly wondered if anyone I knew was among them. Cherrygrove was a weird mix of modern buildings with a rustic charm and older, more traditional houses, but I liked it. The best part was obviously the hundreds of flowering cherry trees that grew both within the city itself and around its edges. From high above, it looked like a sea of pink as trees swayed in the wind and petals danced through the warm spring air.

I really didn't understand why our city wasn't more famous. I might have been a bit biased as a local, but Cherrygrove was quite beautiful.

I had Peri take me to the address I'd memorized in advance. He landed in front of 51 Galora Street without a sound, appearing so quickly and silently that he actually scared some people walking by. I hopped off Peri's back, ignoring the curious stares being sent our way. Peri chirped to let me know he'd be nearby before flying back up into the sky.

In front of me was a big building covered with strips of cherry timber and a roof inlaid with deep red tiles. A pink sign hung above the doorway that read BLOSSOM HALL in large black letters.

I headed inside without delay. After checking in at the counter, I was escorted to a small and tidy meeting room that smelled strongly of coffee. There were two couches on either side of a long table with a potted plant on it. I sat down on one and waited.

Moments later, a lanky man with tousled brown hair bustled through the door and sat down across from me.

"Hello! I'm Eric Sanders, the company president. Please feel free to just call me Eric. I heard you're here for a consultation," he said, introducing himself to me with a bright expression.

"Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice. I appreciate it," I replied with a smile. His cheer was a bit infectious. "It's nice to meet you Eric, I'm Arin Watanuki. I'm looking to get the Cherrygrove Gym renovated. Please have a look at this paper, it has a drawing of what I have in mind."

I held said article out to him but had to pause in place awkwardly. Eric sat frozen in his seat with his mouth hanging open.

"Excuse me, but… your name. Are— Are you related to Gym Leader Adriel?" he stammered, clearly confused.

"I am," I said smoothly. "His son, in fact. Also, my dad isn't the Gym Leader anymore. I took over today— well, at least not officially yet." I'd put my signature on the ownership change form already, but dad and I would need to go to the League another day to show them our updated documents as well as apply for the promotion test.

At this point Eric's mouth was hanging wider than a Magikarp's, and I had to refrain from chuckling at the sight. Was it that shocking? Then again, I hadn't been around in ten years.

Eric finally snapped his mouth shut and blinked rapidly. "My apologies for being so surprised, Mr. Watanuki—"

"Arin is fine," I told him, and the man blinked a few more times again.

"Gym Leader Arin," he settled on, and I couldn't deny the thrill I felt at being addressed like that. It wasn't official yet, but it would be soon. "It's just… wow. Gym Leader Adriel — sorry, your father — told everyone you had left on a journey. We were starting to wonder if you'd ever come back, and you did. Here you are now as the new Gym Leader!" He paused, enthusiasm dying down as he lowered his head slightly. "Is your father doing better now? When he closed the Gym a couple months back and had us halt all work on the gym, he said it was because of health issues and told us not to worry."

I took this information in silently. My previous guess about dad hiring Blossom Hall before had been right. It looked like dad had kept our family matters private which I appreciated, but he'd also kept his own illness a secret from the townspeople.

"He is," I said, deciding to respect dad's wishes. I didn't like lying, and I wasn't. He felt emotionally better after seeing me, so it was technically the truth. "And it's fine. If I was in your shoes, I'd be pretty surprised to see my sudden appearance, too."

I cleared my throat, wiggling the paper slightly. All this time, I'd kept holding it out to Eric and now my arm was starting to feel sore. "Er, I'm sorry. I'd love to chat more, but this is a bit of an urgent project."

Eric's eyes flew wide open as his eyes finally locked onto the piece of paper I was giving him. "Oh! So terribly sorry, you're right. Let me take a look at this," he said apologetically as he took the paper from me.

I sighed a bit inwardly, relieved that my arm was finally free. Meanwhile, Eric scanned the paper with an impressed look. "Oh my. Gym Leader Arin, this is a really great design concept. The drawing itself is also superb. Although, I am a bit curious, this is much different from what your father asked us to do last time. It's quite unique for a Grass type Gym…" he mumbled, half lost in thought as he studied the drawing.

I raised a hand, shaking my head. "That's because it isn't. The design pays some homage to both the city and the gym's history, but in the end, it's a design for a Fairy type Gym."

Eric stopped reading and looked at me like a gaping Magikarp again.

"I… what? Fairy type?" he finally got out. "Forgive me, I'm not a trainer, so I'm not too familiar with the deeper aspects of it, but… that's the new Pokemon type on the news, right?"

I nodded silently. Eric's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "So… you're changing the Cherrygrove Gym from Grass to Fairy type?"

"Yes," I said, eyeing Eric warily as he glanced back and forth from me to the paper in his hands a few times. I guess now was as good a time as any to start gauging the reaction of the locals, even if the sample size was a measly one person. "If I may, can I ask your opinion about that? I was actually a bit worried about how the townspeople will react when they eventually hear the news."

Eric stopped fidgeting, allowing his eyes to finally settle on my form as he hummed to himself. "Well… to be honest with you, Gym Leader, it's a bit shocking. The Cherrygrove Gym has always been the Grass type even long before I was born, so it's hard to imagine it as anything else. But!" He held up a raised fist and grinned at me. "No matter what type of Gym it is in the end, I think a lot of the townspeople, me included, will still show our support. The Cherrygrove Gym has always been this city's pride and joy, and we always love watching the gym battles during the League season. I will warn you, though, there might be some backlash from some of the older folks in town. They're not exactly fond of… change."

Well, that was better than I expected to hear. If Eric was right, and I hoped he would be, at least the majority of the Cherrygrove locals would support my Gym after the switch. The reaction of the rest of the region was a whole different matter.

"Perhaps you could do a Fairy type Pokemon showcase or something," Eric continued, catching my interest. "It would help people understand more about the type and appreciate it more."

That… was actually a really good suggestion, and one that I immediately filed away for the near future.

"Thank you, Eric. That's a wonderful suggestion," I said honestly. "I really appreciate the other feedback, too."

The president of Blossom Hall beamed at me and clapped his hands together in delight. "It was no problem, Gym Leader Arin! I'm happy I could help. Now, let's talk more in detail about the construction…"

Happy to oblige, I excitedly went over the vision I had in mind for the Cherrygrove Gym. We went back and forth hashing out details and refining the final design. Eric jotted down so many notes and sketches that the table ended up littered with them. In the end, a whole hour and a half passed before we finished our discussion and signed a contract. Both of us left the room looking bright-eyed. An astronomical sum of money would soon be detracted from my bank account, but I didn't care.

We were both very excited for the completion of the Cherrygrove Gym's new appearance. It was going to take about two months to finish, but I just knew it was going to look amazing.

Eric made a call over the building's intercom. In a booming voice, he told all his employees to gather in Meeting Room 2. I followed him to the back of the building where we waited in a large, almost auditorium-like space filled with chairs and boxes at the sides and a large screen on the wall in the back. A steady stream of men and women began filtering into the room. All of them stared at me with curiosity.

Eric waited for the last worker under his employ to arrive before speaking, holding up a small microphone he'd grabbed from a box in the corner.

"Hello everyone, thank you for gathering here so quickly. As you might have already guessed, I called this meeting because we have a new job on our hands," he paused to sweep his gaze over the sea of faces. His jovial tone turned serious. "This will be our most ambitious project yet and the most important. I cannot stress that enough. This project will require all hands on deck. I will be turning down all other projects until we get this done."

He paused to look at me. When I nodded, he looked forward again at his waiting employees. "I'm sure some of you have been wondering who the person next to me is. Perhaps some of you may have seen him around town or the Gym when he was younger, but this is Arin Watanuki, our new client and also the new Gym Leader of the Cherrygrove Gym. Adriel has retired."

There were small gasps of surprise as people looked at me once again, this time with newfound clarity and realization. I offered a small smile and nod to them, but I didn't say anything. Eric continued with his speech, unbothered. "We will begin construction work on the Cherrygrove Gym again, but this time will be different. Gym Leader Arin will be running the Cherrygrove Gym as a Fairy type Gym and not Grass. Here is the design we have decided to go with."

He ignored the even louder ripple of gasps that went through the room this time at the second surprise he'd dropped and calmly tapped something on his phone. A blown up version of the Cherrygrove Gym's new design appeared on the screen behind him. The murmurs from the room full of workers died down as they stared at the screen, quickly shifting into work mode as their eyes narrowed with concentration.

Eric nodded in approval at the sight. "Like I said before, this will be our most ambitious project yet," he repeated. Eric spent a long time explaining the design and how the construction would proceed, going through slides one by one on the big screen. When he was done, he turned to me and offered the microphone with a questioning expression. He was offering me the chance to speak.

I decided to take it, grasping the tool securely in my hands before I spoke. "I only have one thing to add to everything Eric has said: I'm counting on all of you to help make the Cherrygrove Gym the best it can be," I said softly. I bent forward in a short but meaningful bow. "Thank you."

There was a moment of silence before the workers actually erupted into small cheers. Startled, I passed the microphone back to Eric. He chuckled at my surprised expression as he turned back to the crowd.

"You heard him, folks. As skilled workmen and proud locals of Cherrygrove City, we should do everything in our power to make this project a roaring success. The Cherrygrove Gym is this place's pride and joy. On a final note, please keep everything regarding this project and the turnover of the Cherrygrove Gym's ownership a secret until official news is released to the public," Eric told his employees.

As they chattered among themselves with excitement, Eric flicked the microphone off and turned to face me, giving a bow of his own.

"Thank you once again for choosing Blossom Hall to lead this project, Gym Leader Arin. I'm beyond honored to work with you on what will surely become the most iconic Gym in Johto," he said sincerely. We smiled at each other.

Eric then tossed the microphone back into a box and puffed himself up, jerking a thumb toward the door.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE, LET'S GET MOVING!" he roared. "PROJECT STARTS NOW!"